Antique satin fabrics are very popular for end uses such as draperies and upholstery. Antique satin fabrics are commonly produced by weaving a high sley warp and a dense filling (weft) yarn. The filling yarn typically comprises a variety of plain and novelty yarns which create a pattern, and the warp yarn may be plain and hidden, or with a subdued warp effect, so that the filling effect dominates the pattern. Pricing is very competitive in the antique satin market, and it is customary to sell "off loom" (unfinished) fabrics that pass dry cleaning tests.
Because of the filling oriented construction of the face of antique satin fabrics, the price competitiveness of the market, and their "off loom" sales, heretofore commercially significant attempts at producing antique satin fabrics on weft inserted warp knitting machines have not existed. In fact, there are numerous practical difficulties in producing antique satin weft inserted warp knit (wiwk) fabrics. For example, if conventional stitching configurations are utilized, vertical lines will be formed on top of the weft yarns (e.g. chain stitching), or the stitching will have insufficient stability (e.g. satin stitching).
It was found that such antique satin fabrics require a very delicately balanced construction encompassing stitching yarn, stitching construction, and substrates.
A major problem that had to be overcome was the selection of the right yarn and substrate combination . Some stitching yarns slit the substrate into strips congruent to the gauge of the machine, because the fabric needed to be knitted so tightly. Another substrate, that did not slit, worsened the dry clean shrinkage results to the point that they become unacceptable. Therefore, it was necessary to bring yarn properties and substrate properties into an equilibrium.
After desirable yarn--substrate combinations were found there was a need for even more opacity since the fabric would probably be acceptable commercially only if it could be sold truly self-lined. This is an important cost advantage. It was found that plied (2 or more) layers of ordinary substrates will be sufficiently opaque to act as self-lining. A plied substrate was preferred over a single substrate of same weight, since the plied substrates appear more opaque than a single substrate of same weight. Also, the hand of a plied substrate is more desirable.
According to the present invention, it has been found that by selecting the appropriate warp stitching yarn for a weft inserted warp knit fabric, an antique satin fabric can be produced which is very pleasing aesthetically, and is a suitable substitute from the aesthetic standpoint for conventional woven antique satin fabrics in common end uses such as draperies and upholstery. Surprisingly, however, the antique satin wiwk fabric according to the invention is also dry cleanable (having acceptable dry cleaning and shrinkage properties), has excellent hand, better luster than the conventional woven equivalents, better dry crease resistance compared to conventional woven equivalents, and can be produced at a much lower cost. Thus the antique satin fabric according to the present invention has no significant drawbacks compared to conventional antique satin fabrics, and has numerous advantages.
The fabric according to the present invention includes one or more substrate layers. If a multiple substrate is provided, each layer may have a weight between about 0.5-1.0 ounces per square yard. Ordinary, inexpensive, washable and dry cleanable polyester non-woven substrates may be utilized. Although spun-laced, and like more expensive substrates can be utilized, there is normally no significant advantage in their utilization.
The weft or filling yarn according to the fabric of the invention is on the face of the substrate, and is lustrous. For example, where a non-washable drapery fabric is being produced, the weft yarn may comprise rayon, or a blend of rayon with other yarns, so that the filling has lustrous properties comparable to those of rayon. It is a characteristic of antique satin to be lustrous, but if desired non-lustrous material can also be used. If adequate finishing formulas are found, a 100 percent rayon filling may be made washable, too.
Washable drapery fabric can be produced with thermoplastic filling yarns. Some of the weft yarns may be novelty yarns to create a patterned effect, which is especially desirable when the antique satin fabric is used to produce draperies. The filling construction has a high density, for example a density equivalent of between about 36-56 single picks per inch (about 52 picks being preferred).
Preferably, no laid-in warp yarn is utilized. The warp yarn that is provided is stitching yarn having a fine denier. The stitching yarn must have low shrinkage and an elongation of at least 15 percent (preferably about 30-70 percent). Typically a non-fully oriented polyester filament yarn with a denier between about 20-60 (40-50 being preferred) is utilized. Other, possibly fully oriented polyester filament yarns may be found to be feasible.
The antique satin fabric according to the present invention is preferably unfinished. It typically (e.g. for a double polyester substrate and a 100 percent rayon weft) has excellent crease resistance, i.e. a crease resistance rating of about 3.0, where 5.0 is perfect, and conventional woven antique satin fabrics have a crease resistance rating of between about 2.0-2.5. The fabric according to the present invention is made into self-lined draperies, e.g. 84 inches in length; that can be produced at a price that is only about 1/2-3/4the price for conventional woven antique satin separately lined draperies.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an antique satin fabric having advantages compared to conventional woven antique satin fabrics, particularly in the production of draperies, upholstery, and the like. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.